Becoming Ramen Heads at Agara Ramen Bar

… but the warm glow from Agara Ramen bar … and the prospect of eating tummy warming, tummy filling ramen is so delightful. (Got yah! *hihi Not a Christmas song.)

Well, it was the prospect of having ramen on a day like this that was the first and main come on, so when Ms. Mikka informed us of a media launch event at this Baguio born ramen house, X+1 were so game. #SupportLocal

Eeiii, so many naruto/fish cakes. *hihi

Braving the storm-like conditions (I can’t believe there is no typhoon), me wearing a heavy above the knee skirt and sandals (Lesson learned from rainy blustery college days, that wearing pants, fancy boots, and trench coats is one of the best ways to run out of dry stuff to wear when you have to go out to class every day.), the noodle shop was sure a welcome sight. *contented sighs

X all warm and toasty now. =b

The lights cast a cheery orange hue on every surface, even making the mural painted on the brick wall seem more vibrant, the open kitchen, the bar with seats for 14 ramen heads to sit shoulder to shoulder enjoying their meal, the industrial design that gave this ramen shop a more modern look, normalized my temp, the minute I walked through the threshold. =)

All the guests complete and seated, we were regaled with Agara Ramen Master Ray’s noodle bowl prep. (He learned all this because he’s a passionate ramenthusiast. \m/) (My favorite part was the charring of the barbecued pork slices. Burn, baby, burn! *heehaha Well, not burn, but char lang.) You see, we didn’t just come here to try a ramen bowl of our choice. Part of our first Agara experience was to sample every kind they had to offer.

Imagine my excitement, Team Costa (Mr. Ray and wife, Ms. Keith Ann) planned a progression of flavors for us. I always said (to my foodie lovies), the best way to distinguish tastes is to have them all in one sitting. And it’s so happening at this ramen restaurant. Weee!

Tonkotsu Shio

We started with the light but still creamy rich salt based pork broth noodle soup.

Tonkotsu shio ramen (Salt based pork broth)

Tonkotsu Shoyu

Then up a notch in the taste ladder, was the soy based pork broth. =D This tickled my taste buds, waking it up from slumber.

Tonkotsu shoyu ramen (Soy based pork broth) =)

Side Dish – Gyoza

In order to avoid the cloying (That’s umay to us, Filipinos. I recently learned that word … Doesn’t have the same ring to it as umay though. *hee) feeling savory dishes like these have, Agara gyouza offers a variation in texture, a meaty mouthful to break the creamy monotony of the soup.

Gyoza *nomnomnom

Miso Ramen

This strong pork miso soup with a sprinkling of corn and sesame seeds, interestingly didn’t pack as much of a wallop in flavor compared to the shoyu. Must be the goddess ramen addition of corn *tahaha … which I got a spoonful of with the broth.

Miso ramen, well garnished pretty miso ramen.

Tantanmen

It was in the spicy pork broth soup with sesame paste that I found the perfect taste. Uncanny, no? I can’t take spicy stuff, but let me tell you, this was just right. It’s the kind of spice that gets caught in one’s throat; cough it out and you’re good to go again. ^^,

Tantanmen, spicy ramen (“,)

Drinks – Mugicha

Let’s pause a bit to take a sip of mugicha, a glass of cold barley tea, shall we? The concentrated porky goodness in the soup we just slurped up from the four bowls is fusing my lips together. =))

Mugicha, cold Japanese barley tea

Agara Ramen’s flagship dishes were saved for last. Were they the best, you ask? To Race and me, they were.

Chuka soba

Full on flavor, tons of umami for its mix of salty, hint of bitterness, a bit of a fishy taste, pork, chicken, mmm. Now, I’m torn between this and tantanmen.

Chuka soba, the OG of ramen ^^,

Tsukemen

If we thought the tantanmen was luscious, this dipping ramen is double, even triple that. Makes my mouth water again now, just thinking about it. Also, the noodles used here are thicker and thus, have more bite to offer. Tsukemen, you could say, is a must try since no other noodle store in Baguio has this. Only two restos in Manila serve it, Sir added. Whoa!

If you still have some soup left and all the noodles are gone, just ask the staff to add hot water to the thick soup, so you can down it in a sip or two. How about another serving of noodles? Or rice? *wink wink You get the idea, my foodie friends.

Take note, to ensure that you get top quality dishes, they have a “no take out” policy here at Agara. Get your dishes just the way the Ramen Master and the universe meant it to be: Hot soup, perfect consistency noodles, tender charred char siu, soft boiled shoyu tamago … which they recommend you finish in less than 15 minutes.

I’m a certified potato head, but after our Agara Ramen foodievent, I’m seriously thinking about becoming a ramen head as well … more specifically, an #AgaraRamenHead. How I felt like a connoisseur, (Mr. Ray’s passion for ramen rubbing off on me), noting the subtle shifts of zinginess per dish prepared. *nasal French ho-ho-ho-ho

Our ‘official’ noodle picks awaiting its final touches. #excited

The weather outside is frightful … but the atmosphere and the dishes at Agara noodle shop are so delightful. Just like that, you’re warm, comfy and soothed by these simple and down to earth foodstuff. (“,) (Where will you find me in the next couple of days? There at Agara Ramen, agraramen.)

Before I go … PROMO ALERT: On their grand opening day, September 8, 2019, be one of the first 100 customers in line when the store opens at 11:00 a.m., and Team Costa will give you your ramen order at 50% off. (Terms and conditions apply.)

Hello there, Mario! Oh, Agara gave us a little taste of the six noodle dishes they have, so that’s one bowl and we take a little sip and a small pinch of whichever component struck our fancy. With the shio, I was all over the char siu. Officially speaking, we just had one bowl to ourselves. I don’t think I can hack eating seven bowls. *hihi

Thank you so much for following the food adventure on our end. I hope you have as great a time dining at Agara noodle shop. (“,)

I love your features of foodievents very much. Your blog is already informative when you talk about your experience at a particular restaurant but you have so much more to tell us when its an event. It’s very nice of Agara Ramen to include bloggers like you to their event. Thank you for your posts, Xin.e

Hello, Adel! Aww, I’m glad po, the posts here help open up the world more to you, even if it’s just Baguio dining.

I hope you have a fantastic time at Agara whenever it is you visit and that you find the perfect ramen bowl for you. I’m sure Mr. Ray and Ms. Keith Ann would be founts of info so you can get the right taste that’s also great for your diet so doctor won’t get angry. *hihi

Thank you so much po for visiting this page. Happy (healthy) eating po! (“,)

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X Marks the Spot for Good Baguio Foods is a personal blog. Everything posted in this blog is PERSONAL OPINION DERIVED FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE and since TASTE can be pretty SUBJECTIVE, should NOT be taken as THE NORM or the LAW OF DINING around in the City of Pines.

Its (prosaic =b) contents are meant to help with the question “san tayo?”/where do we go? in relation to eating out in Baguio, to ENCOURAGE EXPLORING (eatsploring) and TRYING NEW THINGS offered in the City of Pines.

By all means, eat where you want to eat and eat what you want to eat. May you have a great experience with all the places you visit and may all the restaurants you go to deserve a ton of treasure chests! (“,)

(Also, if you have any second thoughts about a certain place you arrive at, please DON'T LET THIS BLOG BE THE REASON YOU ARE FORCED into ending up anywhere. If the restaurant doesn’t have what you want, please FEEL FREE TO WALK AWAY.)

Who Picks Up the Tab? ^^,

Unless otherwise stated, I finance this Baguio eatscapade with my own hard earned - as per Melvin Udall in As Good As It Gets: “big sweaty wads of …” =)) - money.

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Search for Good Baguio Food

Search for:

Join the Food Quest

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Disclaimer:

X Marks the Spot for Good Baguio Foods is a personal blog. Everything posted in this blog is PERSONAL OPINION DERIVED FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE and since TASTE can be pretty SUBJECTIVE, should NOT be taken as THE NORM or the LAW OF DINING around in the City of Pines.

Its (prosaic =b) contents are meant to help with the question “san tayo?”/where do we go? in relation to eating out in Baguio, to ENCOURAGE EXPLORING (eatsploring) and TRYING NEW THINGS offered in the City of Pines.

By all means, eat where you want to eat and eat what you want to eat. May you have a great experience with all the places you visit and may all the restaurants you go to deserve a ton of treasure chests! (“,)

(Also, if you have any second thoughts about a certain place you arrive at, please DON'T LET THIS BLOG BE THE REASON YOU ARE FORCED into ending up anywhere. If the restaurant doesn’t have what you want, please FEEL FREE TO WALK AWAY.)